Careless Talk
by Lionheart 39
Summary: The 2nd Doctor realised he had altered one man's life completely. This had altered the whole of Earths future and all because his former self was prone to careless talk.


Jamie looked at the Doctor puzzled. "Doctor I remember you telling me we shouldn't interfere with individuals time lines." he mused. "Even the odd bit of meddling, as you put it, could cause the future to change drastically."

"Mmm, yes, that's right, Jamie, well it will for certain people!"

"Aye, I thought that's what you said. I remember we had that discussion about Robert the Bruce and William Wallace. How changing their timelines could change everything I know about my homeland."

The Doctor nodded, "Yes that's true, both men had a profound influence on your country!"

"Yet, changing my Uncle Hamish's time would have changed hardly anything."

"Well your uncle Hamish was a recluse so and apart from your father no one saw much of him!"

"Well why is it then," he asked, "that we keep interfering with the Colonel from the underground tunnels timeline. He seems a pretty important man. He's in charge of a lot of soldiers. So isn't changing his timeline dangerous?" The young Scotsman asked.

"Errr, the problem is Jamie, a long time ago my former self made a mistake and well, Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart shouldn't be the Colonel. He should be a Mathematics Teacher, married to his sweetheart and the father of four children."

Victoria who had been listening said "That is some change Doctor, so he was never supposed to be a soldier? Never meant to command troops."

"Well, not until the Daleks invade in 1993, when he becomes the commander of the resistance force that defeats them." The Doctor said.

"So how did you changing his timeline alter things so much?" Jamie asked.

"Well, without the Colonel hundreds more troops would have died fighting the intelligence. It would have taken years to defeat it because they would have arrested us and locked us up as looters. Where as the Colonel took a chance and believed me. When the Cybermen attack Earth in a few years there will be no UNIT waiting to strike at them, because Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart will not have made the people who rule Earth understand there needs to be a special force to fight off Alien invasions." The Doctor told them. "All in all the Colonel will be responsible for saving millions of lives and changing the future of the whole human race."

The Doctor nodded to himself.

"So," said Jamie "what's so wrong with that surely his timeline has been altered for the better."

The Doctor sighed, "Better for Earth and millions of others but not for himself or his sweetheart or the children they never have! Not better for those close to him who he has to always put second to his duty."

"Aye but he'll be a great leader they will honour him. He'll always be remembered as a great man!" Jamie said.

The Doctor sadly shakes his head. "In centuries to come he will be! He will be remembered as one of Earths greatest soldiers. But because of the nature of the people he serves, he will die a lonely death. Troubled by the horror he experiences fighting off the enemies of this planet. His family will hate him because they do not know what he has done to keep them safe. Only a handful of people will know of his deeds and mourn him."

Jamie and Victoria looked distressed. "But that's not right!" the young warrior said. "He seems a grand man and he is a proud Scot!"

The Doctor nods, "That is why I watch his timeline, I want to make my mistake up to him. If I can help to make his life better, make his life happier I will. I can't change the mistake I made, I can't give him back the happiness he should have had! But I want to see him live his later life happy. I want to see him die in his bed with people who love him gathered around him! And if possible I want his heroism and sacrifices known by everyone on Earth before he breathes his last."

The Doctor thinks back to his mistake, it was during the Korean War. Two young officers Capt. Spencer Pemberton and 2nd Lt. Lethbridge-Stewart had led raids on the outposts of enemy troops. The problem had been these troops were being used by the Darifils who lived in the dark dimensions. They thrived on violence, anger and death, using it to power their ships. The young Lt. had listened to the Doctor and used flash grenades and phosphorus to defeat them.

Later when the Doctor and Colonel Oliver Hamilton had been talking about the engagement. Hamilton was under the impression Pemberton had been behind the attack that defeated the Darifils. He asked the Doctor if every time Earth needed a great soldier if one wasn't produced. The Doctor had agreed and said it had been a pleasure to meet Earths new, up and coming Champion. Hamilton had pointed to Pemberton and said he had always known the lad had great potential. The Doctor looked confuse. "Oh, no, Hamilton," he said "I mean the young Lt., Lethbridge-Stewart, he will be your great soldier."

Later the Doctor had seen the young man sipping a cup of tea and reading a letter from home with a large contented smile on his face. He sat down and looked puzzled at the young man, who was wearing a Corporal's uniform.

"Err, Lt." he said

The young man laughed and pointed to his stripes. "Just Corporal Doctor" he laughed, "that Lt. Stuff was just temporary. A battle field promotion, here today gone tomorrow with no pay increase." he said grinning.

"I am sorry!" said the Doctor.

The young man smiled. "Well I'm not, he waved the letter towards the Doctor. I've just got a letter from my girl Doris, the most beautiful girl any man could have. All I want to do is go home marry her and get a post at the local school as a maths teacher. Soldiering is for fools. I want to be home with my girl every night, not fighting battles."

The Doctor had been intrigued and checked up the young mans timeline. He was pleased to see he and his Doris would indeed have the life he wanted, and later he would become the Champion of Earth when he was truly needed.

It was only after leaving the Colonel in the underground tunnels, once the great Intelligence had been defeated, that the name had struck a bell. He had checked the young man's timeline and realised that his conversation with Hamilton had resulted in the old fox changing the future for Lethbridge-Stewart. Somehow Hamilton had broken the young couple up and encouraged the heartbroken young man to make the army his life. Now the Doctor took much more care about other people's timelines.


End file.
